Molluscum Contagiosum

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

Molluscum contagiosum often requires no
treatment as nodules resolve in about six to 12 months; however, cryotherapy (freezing), curettage (cutting out the lesions), laser
therapy, or chemical treatments also may treat the nodules.

There are many home treatments available, but
people should check with their doctor before using these treatments.

The
prognosis of most molluscum contagiosum infections is excellent, but people with
immune compromise have a more guarded prognosis.

There is no commercially
available vaccine for molluscum contagiosum infections, but people can reduce
their chances of getting the disease by avoiding direct and indirect skin
contact with infected people.

What is molluscum contagiosum?

Molluscum contagiosum is a mild skin disease
caused by a virus that causes painless small bumps on the skin The disease
occurs worldwide but is more prevalent in warm, humid climates. The disease is
usually not serious and in most people resolves in about six to 12 months without
treatment. It is a common infection in children; direct
person-to-person contact, sexual contact, and contaminated items like
clothing, towels, or other objects may transmit the infection. Some consider it to be a
sexually
transmitted disease (STD), but many others simply consider it to be a skin disease
that is contagious by any skin-to-skin and indirect incidental contact with the
infecting virus.

Molluscum Contagiosum Symptoms and Signs

Bumps on the Skin

People often describe localized swollen areas on, or under, the skin as lumps or bumps. While bumps on, or under, the skin may result from conditions that give rise to a skin rash, many other conditions can result in solitary raised lumps on the skin. Infections, tumors, and the body's response to trauma or injury can all lead to lumps or bumps that appear to be located on or underneath the skin.